Odyssey of a Lost Mind
by eternalwarzone
Summary: Erin Crescent lived a normal life. At least, until her family was killed by Alghanian soldiers. After being rescued by a mysterious stranger who goes by the name of Stryder, she finds out that he was sent by a king who wanted to meet with her.Find out why
1. Introduction

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to the first chapter of the "Odyssey of a Lost Mind" Series. Even though I'm calling it a series, Odyssey of a Lost Mind 2 will not be a sequel to part one, but rather a whole new story. None will really be connected except for the concepts. It will be sort of like how Final Fantasy is, or Star Ocean, or all those other game names. Well, I will leave you alone here to read the story and I hope you enjoy it. Leave reviews.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sound of a baby's crying rang out through the air. "It's a girl" said the maiden who delivered the baby. The child was quickly wrapped in a blanket and given to her mother. Aila Gainsley looked at her daughter that she held in her arms. She looked up at the maiden. "Thank you so much," She said to the maiden. "The baby's name is Aurora." The maiden nodded and started to turn away. "Wait." Aila called out. "The box, bring it, please." The maiden's eyes followed her fingers to a metal box on a dresser. She grabbed the box and brought it to Aila. Aila took the box, and prepared to open it, but before she did, she looked at her child.

"Erin. Erin, wake up!" Erin Crescent eyes shot open. Her sister, Eva, stood beside her bed with her hands on her hips. "Erin, wake up already. We have to do chores. You go into town today." Eva walked out of Erin's room, leaving Erin to stretch and rub her eyes. She quickly stood up and changed. When she entered the kitchen, she saw her mother scrambling around. Her mother shot her an evil glare. "Why do you take so long to awake, Erin? You know today is the day you go into town."

The Crescent house was located a couple of miles outside of town, so around the middle of every week, Erin would be sent to town to buy food and supplies for the family. "I'm sorry, mother." said Erin. "Don't worry about it. Here's the money." Her mother handed her a leather bag filled with silver coins. "Have a careful trip." Her mother kissed her on the forehead. "Is Father working already?" Erin asked. Her mother nodded. "Yes, he had to go in early, but he will be back earlier then usual today."

Erin walked outside and went to her horse. "Good morning, Ben, how are you?" she said, petting the horses brown head. The horse neighed in appreciation. Erin quickly saddled the horse and pulled herself on top of it. She made sure she was secured onto the saddle before she pulled lightly on the reins. "Let's go boy." The horse started moving forward, and they made their way to town.

Erin thought about a lot of things as she made her way towards the town. She thought about her 18th birthday, which would be coming up soon. She brushed her hair away from her face with her hand. Her hair was a dark brown color and came down to the middle of her back. It was constantly getting in her way and she thought about cutting it to a shorter length. Then Erin started to think about the dream she had. What did it mean? Her hand grasped around the pendant on the necklace around her neck, a thing that she did when she was nervous. She's had the necklace for as long as she had known. It was a silver string that went around her neck. The pendant was made of an unknown rock. She had been offered a lot of money for the necklace, but she had always refused to sell it, no matter what the cost. Her parents had given it to her when she was little, and she had it ever since.

She was jerked from her thoughts as she noticed that she was coming up on the gate to the town. "Good Morning, John." Erin said, referring to the gate keeper. John looked up to see who was speaking, the seeing it was Erin, a smile broke out on his face. "Hello, Erin. Here to get the usual, eh?" Erin nodded. "Ok then, I'll let you in, then." He opened the gate. Erin thanked the gate keeper and made her way into the town.

The town was too busy to ride around on horse, so she tied up Ben at the main gate. The horse neighed in denial. "Don't worry, boy, I'll be quick." she said. She left her horse and made her way towards the baker's shop. When she entered the baker's shop, the baker, Roland, noticed her automatically. "Erin! Is it that time of the week for you to come down here again?" Erin smiled. "Hi, Roland. How's your family doing?" Roland patted his stomach. "Rather good. Amanda's still recovering from the flu, though."

"Well I hope she gets better." Roland smiled. "Thank you, Erin. You are such a kind young girl, I hope Amanda grows up to be just like you. So, back to business. What can I get you?" Erin took the compliment greatly. "The usual, thank you." Roland nodded and turned his back to her. Just give me a minute and I'll have it right up."

Erin nodded and looked around the store. "Why is your store so empty, Roland?" Roland glanced around the store. I have no idea, it seems that so many people are here, but none want to come buy bread." Erin looked outside the door. There was an unusual amount of people in the town today. "Roland, why are there so many people here?"

Roland talked while he worked on getting Erin's things. "Most of them were pushed here for the war. It seems Alghan is getting bolder and bolder as the war presses on. We could have a big problem if Alghan decides to take over our city."

The continent of Kalm was divided into three sections. The northernmost part was the Kingdom of Serra. The Southernmost part was the Kingdom of Alghan. A war was declared between Alghan and Serra. Everything in between the two kingdoms became neutral cities. Haman, the city that Erin lived in, was one of the three biggest neutral cities. It was also the biggest city located very close to the border of Alghan. Rumors were spread around that Alghan wants to take over Haman as one of their own cities.

Erin shook her head. "It's sad to know that this stupid war is even affecting the neutral cities." Roland nodded as he placed Erin's things on the counter. "That it is, Erin, that it is." Erin handed him a few silver cons to pay for the bread. As Erin moved to leave the shop, she heard Roland call out to her. "All of hell would break loose if Alghan were to take Haman."

Outside the store, Erin pushed her way through the heavy crowds, making her way towards the butcher's shop. She was being pushed around like a rag doll by the massive crowd. Suddenly she felt herself falling over. She hit the floor with a loud thump, her bread landing a little way off. A young man kneeled down next to her. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" Erin nodded. The man held out his arm to help her up. Erin grabbed his extended arm and she was lifted onto her feet. The man went over and picked up her bread. He handed it to her. "Good thing it was wrapped, eh?" he said. Erin studied his face. He was very young, he looked to be about 19 or 20. He had jet black hair, some of it falling down to cover one of his emerald green eyes.

Then her eyes fell to the sword that was sheathed on his hip. His hand quickly went to the hilt. "The war makes Kalm a dangerous place, you know? Have to be careful." Erin nodded mindlessly. The young man bowed a little. "Sorry for knocking you over." Then he made his way past her. Erin watched the man as he faded into the crowd. She finally pushed her way into the butchers shop. Like Roland's store, the butcher's store was empty too. She walked up to the butcher. " Hello, Wilfred." The butcher looked up from the meat he was cutting. "Ah, Erin. Are you here for the usual?" Erin nodded. "Yes, please."

By the time Erin had gathered all she needed and was making her way home, the sun was setting. She headed down the path towards her home. When she arrived at the turn that would lead her to her house, she stopped. She heard voices coming from outside of her house. She got off of her horse and peeked around the corner. Three soldiers stood outside of her house. One was on her doorstep, arguing with her mother. Erin gasped as she noticed the symbol on their shields. A howling wolf with twelve stars encircling it. "Alghan!" she gasped to herself.

The soldier and her mother seemed to be in a big argument. Erin looked up at the setting sun, which was almost fully under the horizon. _Good,_ she thought to herself._ Father should be home by now._ Just as she had predicted, her father came to the door. _He should finish this,_ She thought. To her horror, the soldier pulled out his sword and stabbed her father in his chest. The soldier pushed his way into the house, the other two following him in. Screams erupted from inside the house, but were immediately silenced. "NO!" she screamed out loud. It took all of her will to keep from running into the house. But she knew that if she did, she would meet the same fate as her family.

She saw the soldiers exit the house. The all got upon their horses and headed down the path that Erin stood on. Erin looked around from somewhere to hide. An abandoned shack stood to her right. She pulled Ben into it. When she went in and hid under the window, the soldiers sped past her. She counted 100 heartbeats before she knew it was safe. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she just barley escaped. Then se remembered her family, and ran to her house. She rushed into the doorway and gasped. Her whole family lay, dead in front of her. Erin fell to her knees, crying. She cradled her head in her hands. "No! Why is this happening to me."

"Erin….." Erin shot up at the sound of a voice. She looked over to see her mother with her eyes half open. She ran over to her mother and fell to her knees beside her. "Mother! What is going on?!?" Erin gasped at how frail her mother's voice sounded, but she could still sense the urgency in it. "Erin, you have to get out of here. Go now!" Erin shook her head. "No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying her wit….." She was cut off by her mother. "Erin, you have to go now. It's you there after. There going to be back any minute now. You have to get out of here…." Her mother's eyes rolled back into her head and she laid still.

Erin absorbed what her mother just said. She was the reason the Alghan's killed her family? Then Erin remembered the last part of her mother's sentence. "_There going to be back any minute now_." She stood up quickly and ran around her house, grabbing things she would need. Then she ran out of her house. She looked around for Ben, until she remembered he was still in the shack. She ran around the bend that led to the shack and gasped. The three soldiers were speeding back towards her house. She knew they had seen her when the lead one drew his sword. She ran towards Ben, but it was no use. The horsemen caught up to her before she was even half a mile from the shack. The lead one kicked her in the back and she fell over.

She stood back up and tried to continue to run. She was kicked down again. She hit the wall of the shack. The horsemen all jumped off their steeds. The lead one snickered and walked slowly towards Erin. Erin shouted at him. "What do you want? Why did you kill my family? Why are you after me??" The lead soldier laughed even harder and looked at his comrades. "The little missy wants to know why were after her, haha!" The other two soldiers laughed in unison. "Well, that's none of your business, little girl. Now you're coming with us!"

The soldier took a step closer and reached out his hand to grab her. What happened next played too fast for Erin to comprehend. All she saw was the soldier's hand reaching out to her, the next moment, all she saw was a bloody stub. The soldier screamed out in pain and grabbed his stump of a hand. The other soldiers narrowed their eyes, trying to look for where the attack came from. They drew there swords and looked around. Erin saw a black blur behind one of the soldier's and suddenly he fell to his knees, his head hitting the floor a few feet in front of him. The final soldier became even more scared as he tried to search for the invisible attacker. The soldier jumped and turned its back to Erin. She couldn't see what happened, but all she saw was a black sword exit out the back of the soldier.

The body fell and she saw her rescuer. He was dressed in all black. He cleaned the blood of his black blade on the grass and sheathed it. His hair was blowing in the wind as he made his way towards her. The soldier with the missing hand was still rolling around on the floor, clutching his arm. The stranger walked up and picked up the soldiers sword. He quickly stabbed the soldier through the gap in his chest plate, and the soldier stopped squirming. The stranger finally lifted his head towards Erin. The first thing she noticed were his emerald green eyes. _The man from town._ Was the thought that passed through her mind as she passed out.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When Erin awoke, the sun had fallen and the nighttime sky took over. She sat up, moving aside the blanket that had been placed upon her. She looked around her and noticed a fire burning brightly a few feet away from her. As she stared at the fire, suddenly the memories of what had happened came rushing back. The stranger, who was he? She thought about how he had saved her from those soldiers, but he seemed too skilled a fighter to be just an ordinary civilian.

"Oh, you're awake." A voice came from behind Erin. She yelped and spun around. The man who had saved her was standing in the clearing, a dead deer in his hand. Erin stumbled around for something to say. "Uh….where are we?" What happened after I blanked out?" The man laughed out loud. "You nearly scared me to death when you did that. I thought you had died right in front of me. I buried the bodies to prevent anybody else from discovering them." After this, he looked down at the ground, his face growing somber. "I also buried your family. I decided it was the least I could do for you."

"Thank you" Erin said, not looking the man in the face. The man went over and laid the deer next to the fire. He looked around the clearing and then continued. "While you were passed out, I brought you over here on your horse."

Erin looked around the clearing. She had not known that Ben was there with them. He was standing in the corner of the clearing, along with another horse, that was a jet black color, which must have belonged to the man. Erin went over to Ben and patted his head. She looked at the black horse. It was all black except for a white diamond shaped patch of hair on its head. "That's Zenith. He's my horse."

Erin walked away from the horses and sat down on the ground by the fire. She couldn't get the fact that her family was dead out of her head. The man looked at the ground. Erin knew he was thinking of something to say. Finally he looked up at her. "Hey, I'm sorry about scaring you. I had to move us out of there, in case any scouts were to be sent looking for the other soldiers. Couldn't have us found before we get to Serra."

At this, Erin looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. "Serra? What do you mean before _we_ get to Serra?" The man scratched his head. "Oh, I didn't tell you about that yet." Her straightened up. "The king of Serra demands an audience with you. I was sent out in search for you to bring you to him." Erin kept the look of confusion on her face. "Why does he want to meet with me? I'm just an ordinary townsperson."

"Well, that I don't know, but you must be very important, because he demanded I find you." Erin stood up, hands on her hips. "And what if I refuse to go?" A smile spread across his face. "Well, I can't force you to go, but you really have no choice. Your family is dead, and you have no where else to go. I don't know why Alghan is after you, but apparently they are. So it's either you come with me, or get captured by them. I recommend coming with me."

Erin looked at the ground. "Do you think that maybe Alghan is trying to capture me because they know that Serra is trying to get me? Maybe they think I'm something they are going to use to win the war." The man thought about that for a while, but responded quickly. "No, I don't think that's possible. The king said that I was the only one who was being told this, and he strictly informed me not to tell anyone else."

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to go with you. But, first things first, what's your name?" said Erin. "My real name is of no importance, but if you wish for something to call, me you can call me Stryder." Erin laughed. "Just had to be a mysterious name, didn't it?" Stryder laughed, but suddenly stopped laughing and looked around alertly. "What's wrong?" Erin asked. Stryder put his finger to his lips. Erin quieted down, and she heard it.

There was a rustling through the bushes coming from the bushes on Erin's left. "Quick." Stryder whispered. "Hide!" Stryder drew his black sword from its sheath. Erin hid herself behind Ben and watched Stryder. Her walked around the clearing and stopped a little to the left of where the rustling was coming from. He waited patiently by the bushes, as the rustling came closer. From the bushes, came two guards, armed with short sword, and shields bearing the Alghan insignia. They walked right into the clearing, passing Stryder, who had pushed himself halfway into the bushes. The two scouts looked around the clearing. "What do we have here?" One of the scouts said out loud. The other shrugged. "Judging that the fires still up, whoever made it should still be here somewhere. Split up."

Just as the scouts turned their backs on each other. Erin saw Stryder slip out of the bushes. He swiftly up to one of the guards. Raising his sword over his head, he brought it down into the soldier's neck. The soldier emitted a low gurgle, but loud enough for the other soldier to turn around in surprise. A look of shock came upon the soldiers face. He raised his sword to attack Stryder, but Stryder managed to get his sword out of the soldier's neck just in time to block the other soldiers attack. While the soldier recovered from the block, Stryder jumped forward and stabbed him in the neck. The soldier fell to the floor, dead. Stryder stood there, breathing heavily. Erin came out from behind the horses.

From farther in the bushes, more voices could be heard. "Damn," said Stryder. "How many of them are there?" He looked at Erin. "We have to go, now." Erin nodded and ran towards her horse. Stryder put out the fire and grabbed his stuff that was lying on the ground. Erin untied Ben from the post he was tied to, and also untied Zenith for Stryder. She pulled herself on top of Ben, who was still saddled from their ride into the clearing. Stryder came a second later, swiftly jumping onto Zenith. Taking hold of the reins, he looked at Erin. "Let's go." Erin nodded and Stryder took off the path opposite where the noise was coming from, Erin following right behind.

Just as they were about to exit the clearing, two more soldiers erupted from the bushes. Their eyes opened in shock at the two dead soldiers on the ground, and at the fleeing duo. One soldier, who was an archer, drew an arrow and placed it on the bow string. "Stryder!" Erin yelled. Stryder drew his sword just as the arrow was fired. Stryder waited as the arrow came closer and closer. When the arrow was a few feet away from Stryder, he sliced upwards with his sword. The arrow was cut in half and fell harmlessly to the ground. They heard the archer swear as they disappeared into the forest.

Erin and Stryder rode through the forest without stopping. They slowed down to a pace once they left the forest. "Damn." Stryder said. "How many bloody soldiers do they have after us?" Erin shook her head, but didn't say a word. Stryder ran his hand through his hair. "Well, right now where entering the Deltic Valley. From here, it's straight on until we reach Ferwood. There we should be able to rest a while, since it's not involved in the war.

Erin felt her eyes drooping. "When can we set up camp?" Stryder sighed and looked at the path ahead. "We can't risk setting up camp out here. Not in the valley, we could easily be ambushed without even knowing it. We can rest once we get to Ferwood." Erin nodded her head, but still struggled to stay awake. Stryder looked at her and scratched his head. He reached into his pack on Zenith's side and pulled out a rope. "Here," He said handing Erin the rope. "Tie this around your horse's neck. I'll lead him to make sure he doesn't stray while you sleep."

Erin grabbed the rope and tied the rope around Ben's neck. She made a loose knot, so that Stryder wouldn't choke her horse. Then she rested her head on Ben's neck and drifted into sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

James Welch made his way down the empty hall of the castle. The castle was usually empty ever since the war started. The war affected all of Alghan. No one even knew why the King declared war on Serra. Serra was much bigger than Alghan, so at first glance, it seemed that Serra would surely win. But, as the war stretched on, Alghan began gaining the upper hand, and victory was in sight. Pretty soon, James saw his destination, the Alghanian throne room. The king had sent a page to tell him that he was summoned. James wondered what the king wanted. He opened the throne room doors and walked up to the throne, where the king sat.

When James reached the king, he bowed. "You summoned me, your majesty?" The King looked up at James, his coal eyes boring into James head. "Yes, I did. James, have you heard of a group of mercenaries known as the Terra?" James nodded. "Only stories, your majesty. I've heard that there are four members, and each of them can control a certain element."

"Yes, that is them. James, I have an important job for you. I need you to track down the Terra, and tell them I have a job for them." James' eyes opened in surprise. "But, your majesty. No one knows where the Terra are, their only seen when their already on a contract." The king smiled. "Their mercenaries, I'm sure they'll come out of hiding, once they hear an offering of money. Tell them they will be paid a lot for this job."

James bowed his head. "Yes, your majesty, I will do my best." _What is he thinking now?_ James thought as he started to leave the throne room. He knew that he had to find the Terra in order to keep the king happy with him. "Oh, and James." The king said. James turned around. "I'm counting on you. Don't screw this up." James bowed and left the throne room.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Stryder led the way down the valley as Erin slept. He had been riding for a couple of hours now. He could see the outline of Ferwood in the distance. Thoughts started running through his mind. _Why is Alghan after her? What's so important that so many soldiers were sent to capture her? It has to be important if the king was willing to pay me to go get her. _His mind flashed back to the scene. The king of Serra looked very determined to get him to do this.

Stryder was yanked from his thought when he looked up ahead. "Oh no." He muttered to himself. Ahead of him, a few miles up the valley, was a group of soldiers blocking off the path. Stryder knew they had to be Alghanian soldiers. He reached over and nudged Erin. "Erin! Erin, get up!" Erin opened her eyes. Seeing the panic in Stryder's face, she sat up. "What's wrong?" Stryder pointed ahead of them, at the roadblock. Erin gasped. "Oh no. What do we do."

Stryder had a grim look on his face. "I'll try and see if they'll let us pass, but I think we might have to fight." Erin looked at Stryder. "But, I don't have a weapon." Stryder reached down his leg and pulled a small dagger out of a sheath on his leg. He handed it out to her. "Here, hide it under your tunic." Erin grabbed the dagger and placed it under her tunic. Stryder rode up to the line of guards. He counted them, there were about ten. Two men with bows, the rest with swords. Erin looked at him. "Will you be able to take them?" Stryder nodded. "I've faced larger numbers."

When they were close enough, one of the guards walked out to meet them. Sure enough, he had a shield with the Alghan symbol on it. He eyed the two of them, before speaking. "What business do the two of you have traveling down this road?" Stryder responded casually. "Were traders, on our way to Ferwood in order to sell our merchandise."

The soldier looked at his horse. "Where is your merchandise, then?" Stryder pointed to the sacks that were on Erin's horse. Erin just remembered that she still had the things she had bought in town. The soldier went to the packs and searched through them. He grunted. "You sure have a little number of things to offer." Stryder shrugged. "We haven't been able to get much because of the war." The soldier looked them both up and down again. "Well, I guess you two can pass then." Stryder sighed. The soldiers haven't been informed about them yet.

The soldier walked them back to the line of the other soldiers. When they were close, Stryder started to panic. The archer that had fired at him back in the forest was one of the archers standing in the line. Stryder tried to turn his face away, but it was too late. The archer gasped and his eyes opened in surprise. "That's him! That's him! That's the guy!"

Stryder saw the soldier that had been talking to them reach for his sword. Stryder quickly drew his sword and stabbed him in the back before he could draw his sword. The other soldiers started running towards him, drawing their swords. The archers stood behind them, stringing their bows. Stryder jumped off of Zenith and took a defensive posture. Erin climbed off of Ben, but did not remove her dagger, so that the soldiers would believe she was unarmed. She hoped that they would all go for Stryder, she did not want to have to kill anyone.

Stryder eyed the barrier that they made around the archers. He knew that they wouldn't be able to stand a chance if the arches were to finish stringing heir bows, he could block some arrows, but not from two archers at the same time. He started running towards the group. Just as he planned, the front soldier stepped towards him. Stryder did a spin, the soldier's blade flying past him. He stabbed the soldier through the back ,and ran through the open gap, right towards one of the two archers. The archer didn't se him coming until the last minute, when Stryder's blade was lodged deep into his gut. The archer dropped his bow and fell to the ground. Stryder could sense the other soldiers closing around him. He spun around with his sword out and clipped three more of the guards, leaving only five guards, and the archer who had fired at him in the forest, who was struggling to string his bow.

Stryder didn't worry about him, now that there was only one archer left he could easily deflect the arrows. The five guards gathered around the archer, afraid that Stryder would try and do the same thing again. Stryder looked over to Erin. "Don't worry, I'll handle this by myself." The archer finished stringing his bow and pulled an arrow out of his quiver. He smiled as he aimed the bow right at Stryder and pulled the arrow to his cheek. "Try and block this one." He fired the arrow straight at Stryder.

Stryder simply jumped to the side as the arrow whizzed by him and ran straight at the group of guards. The archer's smile faded as he suddenly found himself face to face with Stryder, the guards around him wiped out. "What!!" The archer jumped back. Stryder laughed. "I really have no intention of killing anybody if I'm not in danger, so I'll spare your life." Stryder let out a low whistle, which made Zenith stride up to him. He jumped onto his horse and started to ride away, his back turned to the archer. The archer let out a low laugh, and aimed an arrow at Stryder. A scream came from behind Stryder and he turned around. The archer lay on the floor, a dagger sticking out of his neck. Emily stood over him, apparently shaken.

She looked up at Stryder. "He was going to shoot you, so I……." she stopped and looked down at the dead body by her feet. "I knew that he was going to shoot at me, and I was just going to deflect the arrow, it was the last arrow he had anyway."

They continued traveling down the path to Ferwood, which was getting closer by the second. Erin was still shaken, but was almost fully recovered from the fact that she killed someone. "This city is so beautiful!!" Erin yelled in glee, as they approached the city. Stryder nodded in agreement. "Wait until you get inside." Ferwood was another one of the biggest neutral cities. It was bigger than Haman, but not as big as Vlaire, the biggest of all the neutral cities.

They rode up to the guards that blocked the entrance into the city. The guard looked at them both. "State your business in Ferwood." Stryder did the talking. "We're merely passing through, but we wish to stay for a while." The guard nodded and turned a lever that opened the gate and allowed them to pass. Erin gasped when they entered the city. The city was filled with people and shops of all kinds. People walked around, busily buying items from weapons shops or food vendors. Stryder led them to an inn, named "Indigo Nights." They tied they horses to the post outside and walked in the inn.

Stryder walked straight up to the woman who stood up at the counter. "Good evening. I need to purchase one room." The woman looked up at Stryder. "How long will you and your wife be staying?" The color drained from Stryder's face. "S-She's not my wife." The lady looked uninterested. "Fine, how long will you and you girlfriend be staying?" Erin blushed. Stryder looked at the woman with astonishment in his eyes. "She's not that either. She's an acquaintance of mine."

"How long will you be staying?" the woman growled, obviously annoyed. Stryder cleared his throat. "We should be leaving by tomorrow morning." The woman seemed to add up the amount in her head. "Ten silver pieces." The woman said, holding out her hand. "Stryder reached into his tunic and pulled out a black leather bag. He pulled ten silver coins in it and handed them to the lady, placing the bag back into his tunic.

They were led to their room, which had only one bed. Stryder looked to Erin. "You should probably get some sleep. We still have a long journey ahead of us." Erin groaned. "The sun is still in the sky. Besides, I wanted to walk around the city first." Stryder sighed. "I guess that I could use the time to buy some of the materials we need before nightfall. Ok, you can go, but be careful out there."

"Thank you. Don't worry, I'll be fine" Erin said. She hugged Stryder and ran out of the room. Stryder watched her go. _What a strange little girl,_ he thought


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

James Welch stood beside the king as he waited for their "honored guests" to arrive. James had found the Terra, flushing them out of hiding with the king's huge reward. The soldiers that he had sent out to retrieve them said that they were a very odd group. The mercenaries gladly accepted the unknown mission once they knew how much was in store for them.

Out of the corner of his eye, James watched the king. He had a sly smile on his face. The king was just about into his 14th year of ruling Alghan. When Romis, their old king had died, the council had found his will, which stated that this man were to be king. A lot of people disagreed at first, but the King had led them better than even Romis did in only one year. He was the one who decided to finally declare war on Serra, and the decision seemed to be the best thing they had done.

The king looked over and James quickly moved his glance away before the king could see he was looking. "James, this event is going to change the course of this war permanently. I just need your trust on this decision." James gasped to himself. It's as if the king was reading his mind. James stood before the king and cowed low. "Your majesty, you would have my trust on this matter if you would only tell me what you are planning on doing." The king let out a sharp laugh. "I am very sorry, James. That I cannot do. I cannot risk having our information somehow seep into Serra, as their information has leaked to us. But trust me, James, what I am doing is for the good of Alghan."

James bowed his head. "I trust you, my Lord." Suddenly, a servant boy rushed into the throne room. "Your majesty, the guests are here." The sly grin returned to the king's face. "Good, good. Send them in." The servant boy nodded and ran out of the throne room. A few seconds later, five guards marched into the room, followed by the Terra.

James watched the Terra, and inspected them. They were composed of only four members, and they walked in a straight line. They came up to the king. The man in front bowed slightly before the king, as the other copied. "Your majesty. It is a great honor to be in the presence of one such as yourself." The man who had spoken obviously was the leader, as the other would not do anything unless he did it first. He was cloaked in all red and had long black hair that reached down to the middle of his back.

The King nodded. 'Thank you for agreeing to my request. But, before we get into detail. I will have to ask you to remove all of your weapons and hand them to my guards. Under normal circumstances I would not do his, but you are all trained mercenaries, and I cannot take that risk." The man that stood behind the leader looked astonished. "My sword never leaves my side. How do we know you aren't trying to trap us?" He put his hand on the hilt of his sword as he spoke. The man was dressed in a yellow tunic. His hair was also black, but was short and spiky, compared to the long and straight hair of the leader.

The King smiled at the man's reply. "What purpose would we have in trapping you? I need you all to trust me. There is a large reward at stake here." The man looked as if he were about to speak again, but the leader held out his arm. "Enough, Tarik. Just do as the King says." With a grumble, Tarik unclipped his sword from his waist and handed it to one of the guards. The leader pulled two Katanas from inside his cloak and handed them to the guard. The other two members, one a skinny man, the other a hulking giant of a man, also removed their weapons. The skinny man gave the guard his bow and a quiver of arrows, along with two daggers. The big man gave the guard a battle axe. The guard almost fell under its weight.

The King nodded. "Thank you for our cooperation. Now, I am aware of your special powers, but I must ask, how did you acquire them?" The leader looked to the floor, as if the memories of the past haunted him. "We were all born with it. Nothing of our will, though the power seemed to be a great gift to us. We each faced a tough past because of them."

"I see. Well, I shall question you no more. But, first, what is your name, so I can address you properly." A silence followed the king's question, but then. "My name is Rubiel. Now, what is this mystery mission that you have for us?" James listened as the King explained to the Terra what was to be done. He gasped when he heard the information that has leaked to them. _How does the king know so much._

When the king was done explaining, there as a long pause as Rubiel thought it over. A loud crack of thunder erupted outside as a storm raged. Rubiel looked towards the window. "The sky, it is very ominous today. It foreshadows a great loss for Serra." Rubiel said, bowing to the king. "We accept your request." James watched in fear as a devilish grin came over the King's face.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Erin stared in awe as she walked around Ferwood. The city was much bigger than Haman, therefore it had much people. Erin pushed her way through the crowd as she looked at every store available. She heard the voices of vendors offering many different kinds of merchandise. She went into every store that caught her interest. She stopped at a store that sold many different kinds of animals. She recognized a lot of the animals from her city, but there were some hat she had never seen before. One animal amazed Erin. It was a bird, but none like Erin had ever seen. It was a whole assortment of colors, with long majestic wings.

She was so busy she didn't notice the young man that came up behind her. "I'm guessing you've never seen a phoenix before." Erin jumped at sound of his voice. She turned around to face the stranger. He was a young boy, about her age. He had shaggy red hair and a freckled face. "Do you need help with anything?" Erin blinked at him, before she realized the question. "You work here?" she said in amazement. The boy nodded and smiled. "Welcome to Faris' shop for animals. We have all sorts of animals, ranging from the common ones, to he very rare ones. I am your host, Troy Faris." Troy bowed slightly, and laughed. Erin laughed with him, then looked back at the phoenix in the cage. "You said this was a phoenix?" Troy nodded and stood beside her. "Phoenix's are very rare, they're mostly hunted for their feathers."

Erin looked at the shop, which contained cages filled with all different kinds of animals. "I would love to work around all of these animals. You have a great job, you know that?" He smiled. "Thank you. Come, I'll show you all of the animals" Troy grabbed Erin by the hand and pulled her into the shop.

After Stryder finished buying all he needed. He went back to the inn. He waited thee for Erin to come back until he sun started setting. "Blasted girl, where has she gone off to now?" He said to himself. Fearing the worst, he strapped on his sword and left the inn, in search of Erin. The streets were becoming less crowded now that the sun was going down.

The little people that he did see in the street, he asked if they had seen Erin. When he described Erin to them, none of them had seen her. Any that did recognize her did not know where she was now. Stryder swore under his breath, hoping that nothing bad had befallen her. He was walking through the alleyways, when he heard a noise. The noise sounded like a bird. Following the noise, he turned the corner and laughed.

"A bloody phoenix, I thought they were extinct" he said to himself. He looked at the phoenix that sat in its cage. It looked amazing with its multicolored feathers. Seeing the caged animal made him feel bad that only 5 of the original population were left because of the hunting of their feathers. He stood up and left the bird and walked down the empty street. "Where is she?"

Erin had the time of her life with Troy. He had such an amazing personality. He had shown her around the store, shown her all of the animals that they owned. Right now, they were walking down the empty streets of the city. "Well, I've been helping my parents with the store for as long as I remember. Most of the animals we have were found close to death. We took them in and restored them. Usually, we just keep them for a year. If they're not sold, then we just let them go free." Erin smiled. She shivered as the cold wind ran through her body. Troy pulled off his coat and placed it over Erin, and put his arm around her shoulder. "Better?"

Erin nodded. "Thank you." Troy shrugged. They turned into an alleyway. Erin couldn't help realize that she was falling in love with Troy. The only problem was that they would be leaving in the morning and she would never see Troy again. She was shut out of her thoughts when Troy stopped walking. She noticed he was facing her. "Erin…. I had a good time tonight. I realized something…..you're everything I expect from a girl. I realized I love you." He suddenly started kissing her. Erin gladly accepted it and kissed him back. She felt him put his hands on her hips. Here she was, kissing a boy she had met not too long ago, yet she wanted it so bad. Her thoughts turned rabid as she felt his hands on her hips start to slide up her tunic.

She yanked herself away from him. "What do you think your doing?!?" She started to back away from him. "I told you, Erin. I love you." Erin shook her head. "You are going too far. I don't think I should be here. I have to get back to the inn." She tried to speed past him, but Troy grabbed her and pulled the dagger that she had hid under her tunic. "No, you aren't going anywhere." Erin panicked and tried to run past him. He caught hold of her arm and threw her against the wall. He pushed himself on top of her. Erin started to scream, but her mouth was soon covered. Before Troy could do anything else, a booming voice rang through the air.

"Let her go, now." Stryder stood at the end of the alleyway. Troy turned to face him. "Get out of here, this is none of your business." Stryder started walking towards them. "Actually, it is very much my business. I'll give you three seconds to get out of here before someone gets seriously injured." Troy snorted. "The only one who will get seriously injured here is you." When Stryder came closer. Troy tightened his grip around the hilt of the dagger. "You asked for it." He said.

Troy ran at Stryder, about to strike. When Troy's hand came down, Stryder grabbed it, twisted it behind his back and broke his wrist. Erin winced at the sound of the bone breaking. Troy howled in pain and fell to the floor, clutching his wrist. "I warned you." Stryder said, and continued over to Erin. He kneeled down next to her. "Are you okay?" Erin nodded. Stryder helped her stand up and he put her arm around his shoulder to help her balance. "Stryder watch out!" Stryder whipped around, drawing his blade. He held it right at the throat of Troy, who tried to stab him while he was turned. "Do you want me to break something else?" Stryder said to him.

Troy shook his head. "Then go. Now." Troy dropped the dagger and took off running. Stryder walked Erin back to the inn, where he sat her on the bed and examined her for injuries. When he was done, he looked her in the face. "Well. Luckily, you weren't damaged at all, besides emotionally. Except for your clothes, which are all torn up. I knew buying clothes was a good idea. He turned around and pulled a tunic and a pair of pants. He handed it to her. "Here. Get changed, I will stand outside the doorway. Call me when you're finished."

Erin nodded as Stryder walked out of the room. When he closed the door behind him, she quickly changed out of her torn clothes and put on the new ones. They fit perfectly. She checked herself in the mirror and called Stryder back in. Stryder came in and leaned against the wall. "What were you thinking anyway? You know not to trust anybody in this town." Erin looked at the floor. "I know, but, he seemed like a nice guy at first."

"Don't worry about it, at least your safe, right?" Erin nodded. Stryder pushed off the wall and pulled off his sword. He laid out a mat by the bed and lay down on it. He placed his sword right beside him for easy access. "Now, come, get some sleep." Erin put out the lamp and laid on the bed. "Stryder?" she said. "Yeah" he answered. "Tell me a little about yourself. We have been traveling together for two days now and I barely know anything about you, other than the fact that you were hired to find me."

There was a long pause, then. "Well, my life is pretty tragic. That's why I never really talk to anyone about it. Well, this is how my life goes. I was born to a poor family in the village of Derson. I've never gotten to know my family, because they were killed by Alghanian soldiers the day they took over Derson. Ever since, I've always had a driving hate against Alghan. I was taken in by a man named Lalin. He said knew my father, so I tried to get information from him. But he wouldn't tell me anything other than that my father was a weapons crafter. Lalin gave me this sword and told me that it was created by my father.

"Lalin taught me how to fight, using this sword. We were in the town of Nael when it was invaded by Alghan. We fought in that invasion o keep Alghan from gaining anymore ground. Our fight was useless though. There were just too many soldiers. Lalin died in that battle, struck down by one of the high commanders who wore a helmet that covered his whole face. When Lalin died, I fled Nael, and Alghan took it over. After Lalins' death, I decided that there was nothing more for me, and I became a mercenary for Serra. I've been fighting for them ever since."

Erin was silent, as she let Stryder's past sink in. "Wow," she said after a minute passed. "Your life has been pretty harsh." Stryder laughed. "I warned you. Now get to sleep, we leave in the morning."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After they were out of Alghan territory, Rubiel turned to the other three members of the Terra. "What do the rest of you think?" Tarik folded his arms. "I don't trust that king. Why would he want us to remove our weapons? Why did you stop me Rubiel? You should have let me shock his head right off his shoulders." Lightning crackled from Tarik's fingers.

"He was offering us a grand sum of money. I wouldn't want to pass up an opportunity like this." He looked over to the hulking man that stood next to him. "How about you, Abel? What do you think?" Abel shrugged his massive shoulders. "You are our leader Rubiel. Whatever you say, I agree with." Rubiel nodded his head towards the giant of a man. "And what of your brother? What does he think of all this."

Abel's brother, Serus, was five times smaller than the huge man. Even so, Abel had a strong emotional bond with his brother. He would kill a man with his bare hands if they had laid a hand on Serus. Serus strided beside them, riding on his Pegasus, Altair. He was stringing his bow when he heard the question being addressed to him. He looked up at Rubiel. "I think it was a rather grand idea. It was a large amount of money. I think that a simple mission like this is something we should not let loose."

Rubiel looked at Tarik. "Everyone else agrees with me. Why are you the only one who doesn't?" Tarik grunted and turned his head away. Rubiel smiled and looked around. "Well, we know where our target is heading. Why don't we cut him off?"


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Stryder strapped his sword to his side and grabbed his pack. He looked over to Erin. "Are you ready?" Erin nodded. Stryder walked out of the inn room, Erin right behind him. They walked out of the inn, and over to where their horses were tied down. Stryder patted Zenith's head. "How have you been, buddy?" He placed his back over Zenith's shoulders and jumped on top of him. When Erin was properly on her horse, Stryder rode towards the exit.

When they were out of Ferwood, Stryder looked towards Erin. "Ok, were getting closer and closer to Serra now. First, we pass through the village of Raez, and then we're on our way to Vlaire. We'll stay in Vlaire for a while. When we leave Vlaire, we pass into Serran territory. Then we just have to make it to Durlen, the Serran capital, where the King is located."

"This king, who is he?" Stryder looked around him. "He is King Olan of Serra. He is a very trustful man. He has led Serra to many victories against Alghan. He is one of the best kings that Serra has seen." Erin looked at the ground. "I wonder why he needs me." Stryder put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I am sure he wouldn't want to go through all this trouble if it isn't something important. Maybe you know something that can change the tide of the war." Erin pulled the pendant out from under her tunic and grasped it.

Stryder gasped and put his hand over Erin's which was grasping the stone. "Can I see that?" Erin nodded and pulled off the pendant. She handed it to him. Stryder stared at the stone, as if trying to figure out something. "What is it?" Erin asked. Stryder stared at the stone for a little longer and then looked at Erin. "The stone of this pendant is made of the same stone that my sword was made of. The rare onyx stone. Where did you get it?"

"My parents gave it to me when I was a little girl." said Erin. Stryder thought about it for a little longer, but shrugged it off. "Could just be a coincidence." Erin nodded. There was a silence between the two as they made their way towards the village of Raez. As they cam closer to the village, Stryder immediately knew something was wrong. Erin saw the look of worry on his face. "What's wrong?"

"There's nobody there. The village is usually crawling with people, but nobodies there." Erin looked at the empty village. "Maybe their all asleep." When they arrived at the border lines of the village. Stryder mentioned for Erin to slow down. The pair rode slowly through the small village. When they were halfway through the village, a man ran out from behind one of the huts. "Go! Run! It's an ambush!!" The man ran towards them, but an arrow was fired from the opposite side of the village and hit the man right in his chest. The man fell to the ground from the force of the well aimed arrow.

"Go!" Stryder yelled. The pair took off at a fast pace through the village and out the other side. From behind them, they saw something they never expected. A light blue Pegasus erupted from behind one of the huts. It flew gracefully through the air, straight towards them. ON it's back sat a man dressed in garments the same color as his horse. He had an evil grin on his face as he pulled an arrow from his quiver and placed it on the string of his bow.

The Pegasus landed on the ground and chased them, folding its wings. The rider aimed his arrow straight at Stryder. When the arrow was released. He jerked tightly on Zenith's reins, causing him to swerve to the left. The arrow missed Stryder by a couple of inches. The swerve had caused him to lose track of Erin. She was a couple feet ahead of him. Stryder saw three figures ahead of them. One dressed in red, one in yellow, and one in green. The one in green, a hulking giant, pulled a battle axe from his belt. The axe looked as if it would crush any normal human, but the man handled it with one hand.

He lifted the axe over his head, and brought it down with great force. Suddenly, the ground behind them rose up to make a wall, blocking Stryder and Erin from going anywhere. Stryder caught up with Erin, who had stopped. "Erin, listen to me. I will try to prevent you from fighting, but if it becomes bad……. You know what you have to do." Erin nodded and gulped loudly.

Stryder jumped off of Zenith, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword. He walked up to the three figures. "Who are you and what do you want with us?" Stryder asked. The man in red laughed. "I am pretty sure you know what we want." Although he refused to say it, Stryder knew that it was Erin they were after by the way he looked at her. The man in red continued. "As for who we are…I am pretty sure you have heard of us. We are the Terra." Stryder gasped. "It can't be, you all disappeared years ago. I thought you all had died."

The man in yellow, who stood beside the one in red chuckled. "You hear this fool, Rubiel. He thinks that the Terra died. Listen, boy. There is no one who can defeat us." This time, the hulking man spoke up. "Yes, we did not die. We just had to….. recuperate." Rubiel threw his arm out. "Enough of this. We have what we want." Stryder heard Erin yell, and the man on the Pegasus rode by him, holding Erin. "No!" Stryder tried to run after him, but the ground around him rose up and blocked him. He banged his hand against the barrier. "No! Erin!" he yelled. He heard Rubiel laughing and Erin yelling for him. Then he heard the footsteps of their horses as they galloped away.

When the barrier around him finally came down, the Terra were out of sight. "No! Erin….." He heard a laugh come from behind him. He turned around to see the man with the Pegasus standing behind him. Stryder pulled out his sword. "You bastard!! Where did they take Erin?!" When the man remained silent, Stryder charged at him. The man grinned evilly and extended his palm. Stryder felt his feet go cold and suddenly, he couldn't move. Stryder looked down at his feet. There was a block of ice around each of his feet. "What…what is this?" The man laughed and circled Stryder. "Apparently you haven't heard enough about the Terra. We are a band of mercenaries. Each of us can control a certain element. I can control the power of ice." Stryder looked at the man with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Serus." The man pulls his bow off of his shoulders and places it off to the side. He pulls two daggers from sheaths on his legs. "Let's make this interesting, shall we?" Serus extended his palm and suddenly, the blocks around his legs disappeared. Before Stryder could do anything, Serus dashed straight at him. Stryder pulled his sword up, managing to block both daggers on his onyx blade. Serus gave him a toothy grin. "Good, good. But can you keep it up?"

Serus pulled back and lashed at Stryder again. Stryder barely managed to keep up with Serus. He was abnormally fast and moved with the grace of a cat. Stryder felt himself weakening under the wickedly fast blows of Serus. Stryder took a wild blow at Serus and missed entirely as Serus dodged to the left. He kicked Stryder in the back of his knees, knocking him to the ground. Stryder fell to his hands and knees, panting heavily. Serus held his dagger to Stryder's throat with an evil grin on his face. "I expected a better fight than that. From the way you wanted to take us all on at once, I expected at least a challenge. It's a shame to know that you couldn't do anything to save your girlfriend."

Stryder gritted his teeth at the mention of Erin's name. Serus was right, he as helpless in protecting Erin. He didn't even notice Serus sneaking behind him to grab her. "You are a pathetic fool. And now you will die." Stryder let out a yell, and jumped up from the ground, stabbing his sword right into Serus' chest. A look of bewilderment came over Serus' face and his mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. Stryder pulled back his sword, and Serus fell to the ground, dead.

Stryder looked at Serus' dead body. He had killed a Terra. Even though he had caught him off guard, he had still killed one of the undefeatables. Stryder looked into the distance where the Terra would be carrying Erin. Most likely they had been hired by Alghan, so they would be heading back to Alghan. Stryder looked to his right and saw Serus' Pegasus standing there. Suddenly, he had an idea. Stryder ran and picked up Serus' bow, along with his quiver of arrows, which he slung across his back.

He jumped onto Altair. "Come on, buddy, fly." Stryder said, as he pulled on the reins. The Pegasus started slow, but then picked up speed as it ran. When it was going as fast as it could go, Stryder saw its wings start to open. The Pegasus took off into the sky. Stryder pulled it in the direction of the fleeing trio. He found out that he was able to steer the Pegasus as if it were on land. After a while of flying, Stryder caught sight of the three men. He descended slowly, trying to sneak behind them.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Rubiel laughed at how easy their task was. It was a little too easy……. He looked back at the girl that lay tied up, sitting upright, unconscious, on the back of Abel's horse. _What is so special about this girl that the King of Alghan is willing to pay so much to find her. Why is she so important that the King of Serra wanted to speak with her as well._ As he was thinking, he caught sight of a familiar looking light blue horse descending towards them. He smiled and looked at Abel. "Your brother has rid us of the boy." Abel looked up at the Pegasus. Tarik grunted. "He must have been an easy fight. The Serran king didn't really send much to bring in his prized possession." Abel's eyes remained on the Pegasus, but was silent. "That is not Serus."

Both Tarik and Rubiel stared at the horse, trying to identify it's rider. Tarik gasped. "It's the bloody boy, the boy is riding Altair. But then, that must mean……" He looked over at Abel, who was staring contently at the Pegasus. He started shaking his head. "No…….no…….NO!!!!!!!!!!" Abel picked Erin up and tossed her to Tarik, who caught her and placed her on his horse. He pulled his horse to a stop and faced the oncoming Stryder.

Stryder heard a loud roar and saw the massive man jump down from his horse. He pulled the huge battle axe from the loop on his waist and gripped it with one hand. With a loud yell, Abel brought the axe into the ground. Pillars of Earth rose around Stryder. Stryder pulled the reins left and right in order to dodge the pillars that spurted up around him. Stryder managed to get past Abel, and soon left him in the distance.

Abel growled and stomped the floor. The ground under his feet rose, and started to move forward. Slowly at first, but then started to pick up speed. Pretty soon, Abel had caught up with Stryder.

Stryder gasped at how fast Abel was going. He was not to far from the other two members. He saw Erin on the back of Tarik's horse. He pushed the Pegasus to go faster, but he was slowed down by the pillars that were still being risen by Abel. Stryder started to descend, trying to land on the ground. Suddenly, a pillar rose in front of him. He yanked the reins to the right in order to dodge it, but couldn't in time. Altair smashed into the pillar and was sent spiraling to the ground. The impact sent Stryder flying from the saddle. Luckily, he had not been that high up and only received minimal damage from the fall. Altair hit the ground nearby him, but did not seem to be hurt, as he got up right afterwards.

Stryder heard a growl and turned to see Abel standing next to him. Able's massive fist connected with Stryder's temple. He flew back a couple inches, but managed to keep his balance. Stryder started to fell dizzy from the crushing blow. Abel pointed a huge finger at Stryder. "You bastard……what did you do with my brother?" Stryder was confused for a minute, but realized, Serus must have been his brother. He gave a sly smile. "I sent him where he belongs. But don't worry, you'll be meeting him soon."

Abel marched up to Stryder and rammed him in the chest. Stryder fell onto his back, having lost his breath. Abel stood over him. "Oh no, my friend. It is you who will be meeting him first." Abel lifted a giant foot, and prepared to stomp on Stryder, but someone interrupted him. "Abel, wait!" Stryder saw Rubiel ride in on his horse. "I must talk to him before you kill him." Abel's foot dropped to the ground right beside Stryder head. "If you wish."

Stryder pulled himself into a sitting position. "What do you want?" Rubiel walked up to Stryder. "I want information. Tell me about the girl. What is so important about her that the King of Serra wants to meet her?" Stryder laughed. "Why would I tell you? Your going to kill me soon." Rubiel looked at Abel, then back at Stryder. "If you tell me anything good, I'll call Abel off and we'll let you go."

Abel stepped forward. "But Rubiel……. He killed Serus. I am not going to let him leave here!!" Rubiel looked at Abel. "I want to find out why she is so important. You can settle you revenge another time, but now, I want information."

"Stryder!" Stryder looked over to see that Erin had awoken and was being held back by Tarik. Rubiel looked at Stryder. "Do you accept my proposal?" Stryder looked Rubiel in the eyes. "Go to hell." Rubiel's lips parted into a smile. He stood up and looked at Abel. "Seems like you can have your revenge sooner. Kill him."

"No!! Stryder!!" Erin yelled out, trying to break free from the grasp of Tarik, but it was worthless. Stryder saw Abel coming towards him. Stryder stood up and drew his sword. Abel kept on walking towards him. When he was close enough, Stryder ran towards Abel and slashed at him. Abel blocked the attack with a gauntlet on his wrist and grabbed Stryder. He wrestled the sword from his arms and threw it off to the side. Then he grabbed Stryder in a bear hug and prepared to crush him to death.

Stryder felt his bones creaking under the pressure of Abel's massive arms. "Stryder!!!! NOO!!!!!!" Erin yelled. Suddenly, the pendant around her neck started to shine brightly. Tarik looked at the jewel in amazement. "What the…….."

Abel dropped Stryder to the ground and stared at the pendant. A bright burst of light shot out from the jewel like a shockwave. It hit Tarik, Rubiel and Abel and sent them flying backwards. When it was over, Stryder stood to his feet. When the brightness subsided, he saw Erin standing where she had been before. Suddenly, she passed out. "Erin!" Stryder ran over to her. He checked her, she was still alive. Stryder looked around him, the Terra were gone, they were knocked out of sight. Stryder looked at Erin. "What in the bloody hell was that?"


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Erin awoke with a pounding headache. She sat up and looked at her surroundings. She was in an inn room. She got up from the bed and moved to the nearby window. Crowds of people were bustling around aimlessly. Shouts of vendors rang all around. _We must be in Vlaire,_ Erin thought to herself. "Oh, good, you're awake." Erin turned to see Stryder entering the room. He held a bag full of food.

He motioned to a table. "Come on. Let's eat." They both sat at the table. From the bag, Stryder pulled bread and cheese. "I didn't have much money, so I couldn't get anything fancy." Erin smiled and shrugged. "That's ok. I would eat just about anything right now." Erin grabbed a piece of the bread and smeared some of the cheese on it. Erin ate the food greedily. She hadn't eaten since the food rations she had bought at Haman wasted. That was before they reached Raez.

Stryder stared at her. Erin saw him staring and smiled. "What?" Stryder looked down. "Erin, what happened yesterday. You know, with the Terra?" Erin gulped her food down hard. She had hoped he would forget about that. She, herself did not know what had happened. She just feared for Stryder's life, and all of a sudden she blacked out. "I really don't know. One minute I'm standing in the plains, being held back by that man, seeing you about to die. The next minute, I'm waking up in an inn in Vlaire."

Stryder looked down. "Damn, I had hoped you would know. That blast knocked the Terra so far, I couldn't find them. Luckily I had been on the floor, or I would have ended up just like them. After a while, Ben and Zenith showed up. Turns out when the Terra tried to bring you back to Terra, they ended up taking you right by Raez." Erin nodded. She stood up from the table. "Well, I'm going to go walk around. Do you want to come with me?" Stryder shook his head. "I think I'll stay here for a little while. You go on ahead, but be careful. We don't want another incident happening. "Don't worry." Erin said, before leaving the room.

The city of Vlaire was basically just like all of the other cities in Kalm. Filled with all the same kinds of people, who just walked around, admiring the city. Both had vendors selling all kinds of different merchandise. The only exception was that Vlaire was big, it was _very_ big. Also, there was a big coliseum in the middle of the city. Erin stared at the coliseum. She walked up to the man at the gate. "Hello. What goes on in this coliseum?" The man laughed. "You must be an outsider."

Erin nodded. "Well," the man started. "This coliseum has a big history behind it. Before the war, contestants from all over Kalm used to come to Vlaire to fight in the great competition that takes place every year in this coliseum. People were put up to fight against monsters, and the highest scorers will move forward in the competition. The two highest were put to fight each other in a battle to the death. The winner would receive a glorious prize.

Erin's eyes widened. "All that takes place in this coliseum?" The man laughed. "Oh, heavens no. Not anymore, at least. The coliseum closed on account of too many people dying. Now, we just use this coliseum for The Festival of Neutrality." "Festival of Neutrality? What's that?"

"Well. All of the people of Vlaire gather together in this coliseum to celebrate our 14th year of neutrality in the war between Serra and Alghan. It celebrates that we've managed to go this long without invasion." Erin nodded and thanked the man for the information." She moved a little back and stared up at the coliseum.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Erin jumped and turned to see a grinning Stryder. "I'm guessing you were just listening to it's history from that man." Erin nodded blankly. Stryder laughed. "Derrick loves to tell the story of the coliseum to everyone he sees. Isn't the story fascinating though? Warriors would fight mystical beasts. I just wish that it would have been open during my time. Derrick over there has been to the battles when he was a boy."

Trumpets sounded somewhere in the city. Erin turned sharply towards the sound. "What is that?" Stryder smiled. "The festival is going to start." Erin's eyes lit up. "Really? Oh, let's go see it!" Stryder shrugged. "Come on!" Erin grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the direction of the trumpets. They finally found where the trumpets were. A crowd of people crowded around the south side of the coliseum, all eager to begin the festival. The other travelers looked on in glee, because they were determined in finding out what was happening.

A man made his way towards one of the doors of the coliseum. "Everyone line up! The Festival of Neutrality show is about to begin!" As Stryder and Erin finally entered the coliseum, they heard that music was playing. When hey looked in the arena of the coliseum, they saw that people were dancing to the music. Laughing erupted from the crowd as girls were dancing around with the boys. The music started playing a fast song and the dancers drastically increased their sped as well. A lot of them busted out laughing as they couldn't keep up with the song.

A man came up to Erin. He did a polite bow and offered his hand. "Would you like to dance, m'lady." Erin looked at Stryder. "Go ahead." He said. Erin took his hand and he led her to the middle of the floor. Stryder sighed and shook his head as she disappeared into the dancing crowd. He moved into the seats and sat down and placed his head in his hands. After a while, the music stopped, and a man made his way into the middle of the dancing crowd. "Welcome everybody, to the Festival of Neutrality!" At this, the crowd cheered. When the crowd quieted, he continued. "This festival is to commemorate the fact that we are a strong city! To remind everyone that we will not be involved in this stupid war! To prove that we will not side with anyone but ourselves! So on account of this joyous occasion, we shall drink!"

Maidens went around the coliseum serving beer to the crowd. Stryder saw Erin making her way back to him. She smiled when she saw him. Both Stryder and Erin grabbed drinks when the maidens came around. The man standing in the middle held up his mug. "To Vraile!" he said, and he downed his beer. "To Vraile!" the crowd repeated, downing theirs as well. Stryder and Erin both drank theirs. The music started up again and Erin turned to Stryder. "Come on, Stryder, dance with me!"

Stryder shook his head. "Oh no, I'm not a dancer." Erin put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Oh come on!" She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him into the crowd. She turned to him "Okay, now just put your hands around my waist. Like this." She grabbed his hands and placed them on her hips. "OK. Now, just go with the flow of the music." She started dancing, and Stryder struggled to follow her.

Stryder found it to actually be fun. He soon got used to following the music and did it without ease. The musicians stopped, and started up again, playing a slow song. Stryder, already used to dancing to the fast songs, struggled. "Don't worry," Erin whispered. "Just follow me." Erin danced slowly, and helped Stryder to follow her.

Stryder couldn't help but feeling weird. Here he was, dancing with the girl that he was sent to protect. The main rule of protecting someone was to never get too close. But Stryder couldn't help but develop feelings for her. He wondered if Erin felt the same way. The music slowed to a stop and Erin looked Stryder in the eyes. She pulled away from him. "Well….uh….I guess I should get some sleep." Stryder nodded. "Go ahead. I will stay here for a little longer." Erin nodded. She turned around and left the coliseum.

Stryder watched her go. He pushed away the urge to call her back. He sat down in the stands, grabbing another mug from the maidens. He shook his head. "What is wrong with me? I shouldn't be falling in love with her. I'm only supposed to protect her." He heard a sound beside him. "Hmph, I guess everyone has their own problems."

Stryder turned to his right to see a ruffled middle aged man. He had shaggy brown hair and he held his mug with a tight grip. "Excuse me?" Stryder questioned. The man laughed. "Everyone has their own problems. Just yesterday, I was married to a beautiful woman who would give me the world if I asked her. Today, I find that she's cheating on me with my best friend. How can you lose two people in one day?"

The man looked drunk, but Stryder knew he spoke the truth. He looked at Stryder. 'At least your young, and are still finding love. When you become my age, love doesn't come knocking at your door anymore. My advice? You go tell her how you feel before she finds someone else. Forget your duty and put your life ahead of it." Stryder looked at the ground and thought it over. It was actually a rather good idea, but Stryder doubted he could pull it off. "Thank you, sir." Stryder said, standing up. "Hmph' was the only response that Stryder got. Stryder left the coliseum and headed back to the inn to sleep.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Erin woke with a jolt. She had that same dream again. It still perplexed her. She got out of bed and poured some water on her face to wake her up. She looked around the room. Stryder was nowhere to be found. She left the room and went outside. Stryder stood outside the inn, combing Zenith. Ben stood beside him, fully groomed. Stryder saw her look at Ben, and shrugged. "I was bored, it gave me something to do. Are you ready to go?" Erin nodded. "Yeah, let me just go grab my stuff."

When Erin was finished collecting her things, she saw that Zenith was already untied, with Stryder on him. She ran over and untied Ben. She placed her things on his saddle and pulled herself on him. She looked at Stryder, who nodded. "Let us go then." Stryder led the way out of the city. When Erin caught up to Stryder, she saw that he had a smile on his face. "Pretty soon, we'll be entering Serran territory. I'm almost home."

Erin was exciting. She would finally get to find out why the Serran king was going through all this trouble to find her. She would be able to find out why her family was killed by a group of soldiers that were after her. Suddenly, she noticed that Stryder had stopped. She pulled Ben to a halt and looked at Stryder. "What's wrong?" Stryder looked at her. "Any further, and we will be entering Serran territory. I need to know that this is what you really want."

Erin nodded. "I went this far, might as well finish my journey." Stryder smiled. "Well, take one step forward." They both started at a trot. "Welcome to Serra!" Stryder said, a huge smile plastered on his face. Stryder took off on Zenith. Erin soon followed, and actually managed to catch up. "We are only a couple of miles from Durlen. We should be able to make it there in no time."

Sure enough, after an hour of riding, Durlen appeared in the distance. The pair rode up to the front gate of Durlen. The two guards looked surprised when they saw Stryder pull up on Zenith. "Stryder? Bloody hell, I thought you were dead." Stryder laughed out loud. "Me? Dead? Nothing can kill me!" The guard grinned. "Well, come on then. Go on in." They opened the gate and Stryder led Zenith into the city. He heard Erin gasp as she looked around at the majestic city. Even though Durlen was the capital of Serra, it was also one of the biggest trade cities. Traders walked through the various stores.

Erin grabbed Stryder's arm. "Is that it?" Stryder looked to see where she was pointing. She was pointing at a castle off in the distance. Stryder nodded. "Yes, that's the end of our journey. The castle of Serra, where king Olin awaits you. It's been 5 years since I've last seen this place, but it hasn't changed much."

"Halt!" Stryder turned to see a group of soldiers surrounding him. Stryder reached for his sword, but noticed the crest on their shields. They weren't Alghanian, their shields bore the helmet and sword of Serra. Stryder eyed them. "Serran soldiers? What is the meaning of this?" A soldier pushed his way through the soldiers and up to Stryder. He must have been the leader of the group. He wore a helmet over his head that covered his face. "We have been ordered to arrest you." The man reached for his helmet and pulled it off. Suddenly Stryder started laughing. "Luis, you bastard!" The man laughed along with Stryder. The man pulled Stryder into a bear hug. "Haven't seen you in 4 years. Where have you been, buddy?" Stryder scratched his head. "Long story."

The man laughed. "Well, let's talk over some beer, eh?" Stryder nodded. "I would like that. Hold on, though." Stryder ran back to Erin, who was looking at the items in one of the stores. "Who is that man?" Erin asked. "That's Luis Rodriguez, he's a very old friend of mine. I've known him for a very long time. Listen, I'm going to go speak with him for a while. You can explore the city, but don't go anywhere too far. Meet me at the Herold Pub in two hours." Erin nodded and Stryder walked off with Luis.

Erin watched them go. She looked around the city. _Where to first?_ She thought to herself. She picked a random road and set off along it. She passed all sorts of stores, many that she didn't even see in Ferwood, or Vlaire. She passed an exotic animal shop and sighed as she remembered her encounter with Troy in Ferwood. That was something she didn't want to reenact, so she hurried on by. She soon found herself in a huge courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with 4 giant statues of men she did not recognize. She moved up to the first statue and read the plaque underneath it. It read: 'King Theo. Led us in the Battle of Tertiem.' She went up to the second statue. 'King Fezir. Died in the war of Pilon.' The third statue read. 'King Xerson. Led us in the "Great Masquerade"' Erin finally moved to the last statue. She recognized the name. 'King Olin. Formed Serra and waged war on Alghan.' Erin looked at the statue. "So this is the king who so badly wishes to see me."

Stryder sat with Luis at one of the booths in The Herold Pub. He had dismissed the troops so it was only them two. Luis ordered two beers from the waitress. Stryder smiled. "Bloody hell, has it really been 4 years since we've last spoke." Luis nodded. "Where have you been?" Stryder folded his hands on top of the table. "I was sent on a mission." He said. "Oh I see. Mercenary work. And how about that girl you brought in with you? Finally found yourself a girlfriend I see." Luis started laughing. "_She_ is my mission." The laughing abruptly stopped. "Oh"

The waitress brought the beers over. Luis chugged half of it quickly and placed the mug on the table. 'I see you've gotten yourself a promotion. Last time I was here, you were only a regular soldier." Luis smiled. "Yep, they saw my talents and promoted me to a general. Hell of a lot of hard work though." Stryder sipped at his beer. Suddenly, a soldier burst into the bar and ran up to Luis. "What's wrong?" The soldier was out of breath and it took him a while to start speaking. His face was grim. "Sir! You have to come with me." Luis looked at Stryder, then back at the guard. "What the hell is going on?"

"Alghan is going to attack!"


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Stryder followed Luis outside the bar, where a group of soldiers had gathered. He went up to one of them. "What the hell is going on?" The soldier trembled under Luis bellowing voice, but started speaking. Erin came up beside Stryder. "What's happening?" Stryder nodded his head towards the soldier, who had started speaking. "An enormous Alghanian army is on their way here. They have taken over the neutral cities of Haman and Ferwood. They circled around Vlaire, however, and they are on there way here."

Erin gasped. "They took over Haman?" The soldier nodded. Luis looked around him. "Damn….. How long until they reach here?" "Since they are circling around Vlaire, it will take them three hours to reach the outskirts of Serra, and only another hour to reach here." Luis ran his hand across his face. "Damn, we don't have enough time to put up a proper defense. Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Get ready for battle!" The soldiers scurried away.

Stryder moved up to Luis. "Four hours?!?! We won't be able to do anything in that time." Luis looked at him. "I know, but we'll have to do as best as we can. Take the girl to the castle to see the king and finish your mission, we'll handle Alghan." Stryder shook his head. "No, I am fighting alongside my people." Luis laughed. "Good, we could use as much of the help as we need." Luis walked away to gather his soldiers.

Stryder moved to Erin. "Erin, you can go see the king yourself, but I have to stay here and fight." Erin shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving you here. I'll fight too." Stryder sighed. "You have no weapon, how can you fight?" Then Stryder remembered that he still had Serus' bow and quivers. He ran over to Zenith and pulled them out. He handed them to Erin. "This is all I can offer you. I'll see if I can get someone to train you quickly." Erin nodded and Stryder ran off in search of Luis.

He found Luis in front of a giant group of soldiers, prepping them for battle. HE walked up to Luis. "Luis, can you find someone to teach Erin to handle a bow?" Luis' face was surprised. "She's fighting too?" Stryder nodded. "Ok then, I'll see if I can get one of my archers to help her." Stryder nodded. "Thanks."

Stryder turned to walk away. "Oh, and Stryder." Stryder turned back to Luis and saw him holding out something to him. "Can't have you going into battle without armor." The armor in his hand was full black. It had the chest plates, shoulder plates and everything, even lightweight plates for his legs. Stryder grabbed the armor and put his hand on Luis shoulder. "Thanks you, friend." Luis laughed. "No problem. It's just goods to know that you're on our side. I'm promoting you to my second in command, I want you by my side." Stryder nodded. "Thank you again."

Stryder ran and quickly changed into his armor. It felt really lightweight and he was able to move easily in it. He tied the sheath of his sword to his side and grabbed the helmet. He walked down the streets of Durlen, which was chaos. Soldiers marched through the city, evacuating homes. The families in the city had to be moved farther into Serran territory. They were being moved to the city of Echlon. All of the soldiers were meeting up in front of Durlen, where the Alghan army would soon be seen in the distance. Stryder walked out and pushed his way past the soldiers. He stood right beside Luis, who looked in the distance. "Those bastards are almost here." Luis said slowly. "The battle is soon to begin." Stryder stood silent. Luis looked at him. "Erin is ready now, she's being put in the back of the army, with the rest of the archers. It's good because she's less likely to be hurt there."

A yelling was heard in the distance and an archer came riding over the hill. He rode straight to Luis and stopped in front of him. "Alghan is here!" Just as he finished speaking, The Alghanian army came into view. There were hundreds of them, but the army seemed considerably small compared to Luis'. Luis chuckled. "Bloody morons. They think they'll be able to take over us with that little amount of soldiers."

A soldier rode out from the Alghan army. He stopped a few feet away from the Serran army. He looked straight at Luis. "Are you the leader?" Luis grunted. "That I am." Stryder watched the man to see what he would do. "The Alghan army is giving you one chance to surrender, or else we'll take Durlen with brute force." Luis grinned. "Why don't you go tell Alghan to kiss my ass." The man on the horse grinned. "I'm glad you refuse. I enjoy a bloody battle." He turned to ride away.

Luis looked at Stryder with anger on his face. "That bastard is making fools of us. "I'll show Alghan what we think of their messenger." Luis grabbed the bow from one of the archers and pulled one of their bows. He placed it on the bow string, aimed and fired. The arrow flue true, striking the messenger right in the back. He fell of his horse and didn't move. "Ha. That'll show them!" Luis said, excitedly. He turned to the army behind him.

"Everyone. Look at that army over there. They think that you are a bunch of fools. They underestimate the power of Serra! For fourteen years, they have been terrorizing our lands and our families. Are you just going to sit here and let them do it?"

"NO!" The army screamed out.

Are you just going to let them walk on in here and hurt everyone that you love dearly?"

"NO!"

"I stand here as a general and a friend, and I tell you that we must not put up to them. We must go out there and show them the true power of Serra! For al the trouble's that they have caused you! Repay it back in bloodshed!!!"

The army screamed. Cheers rang out. Luis looked at Stryder. "Are you ready?" Stryder smiled. "I was born ready." Luis looked forward and drew his sword. He held it out in front of him. "For Serra! ATTACK!!!"

The Serran army rushed forward. When the Alghan army saw them coming, they charged as well. Stryder ran with the army, straight towards the enemy, his sword begging for blood. The two armies clashed with the sound of swords and shields. Stryder stabbed the nearest soldier to him. He ducked as a sword few over his head and jabbed another soldier in the gut. He looked around him. The Serran soldiers were fighting viciously. Luis slashed away at each soldier that came within five feet of him.

Just when victory seemed easy for Serra, The tides turned. Twenty of the soldiers that were gathered together as a group were suddenly hit by a lightning bolt, the metal in their armor transferring it to each one. "No….it can't be." Stryder said out loud. A huge wall of earth rose up from the ground and fell on another group of soldiers. A wave of fire spread out through the army, knocking a couple of soldiers down with severe burns. "No….it can't be. They're dead."

The Terra stepped right into the battle. Tarik jumped from soldier to soldier, killing each one mercilessly. Abel charged in with his giant axe, swinging it and chopping anyone that stood in the way in half. Rubiel walked in casually. He looked up at the sky. "Ah.. I love the smell of fresh blood." He said. He pulled out his dual katanas and chopped of the head of the soldier next to him.

Suddenly, before Stryder could react, the ground around him shot up, making a barrier. There in front of him, grinning evilly, stood Abel. "So Stryder, we meet again." Stryder drew his sword. Abel started laughing. "You may have managed to escape last time, but I promise you that you will not this time. You killed my brother, and I will make you suffer for it!" He held his axe in one hand and charged at Stryder.

Even for a man of his size, Able was very fast. He tackled Stryder before he could respond. Abel grinned at Stryder on the ground and raised his axe over his head. Stryder flipped backwards as the axe came down on the spot where his head once rested. Abel pulled his axe out of the ground easily. Stryder stood there, sword out in front of him, breathing heavily. He ran at Abel and tried to stab him in the chest. Abel quickly parried the blow and swung his axe full force.

Stryder ducked under the axe and jabbed at Abel. Abel, still recovering from the swing, did not have enough time to block the jab. The sword stabbed him straight in his chest. Stryder let out a breath. A look of astonishment came upon Abel's face, then it vanished and was replaced by an evil grin. "Do you think that could stop me!!" With the strength of an ox, he punched Stryder in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Stryder landed hard on his back and didn't get up. Abel pulled the sword from his chest and tossed it at Stryder's side. "Come on!" He yelled, the veins on his neck throbbing. "Get up and fight me!"

Outside of the barrier, the war raged on. Without the Terra, the Alghanian army wouldn't have stood a chance against the Serrans. The soldiers were quickly being demolished, but for every soldier they would fall, the Terra would kill five of their own. "Damnit!" Luis yelled out in anger. He stabbed at the soldier running at him, hitting him in between the breastplate. "Die you God damn Alghanians!" Two soldiers ran at him. He stabbed the first one in the throat and kicked the other to the ground. Then he rammed his sword into the man's chest.

He heard a maniac laughing and turned to see Rubiel. He was killed so many of their soldiers with his dual katanas. Luis looked at the dome of earth that had came up, swallowing Stryder in it. Also, the big Terran was gone, he must have been inside the dome with Stryder. "Damn Stryder, hurry up and help us." He heard another laughing and an evil voice. "I'm sorry, but your little friend will not be returning from that dome." Luis turned to see Tarik. He stood with his arms crossed, holding his sword in his right. Tarik's sword astonished Luis. It was a dual bladed katana. It had the regular features of a sword, but it had two blades instead of one. Luis held his sword out in front of him, preparing himself for an attack. Tarik laughed. "You want to fight me?" When Luis didn't respond, Tarik shrugged. "Oh well, but I must warn you. It won't be any picnic."

Stryder's chest was killing him. After receiving that punishing blow from Abel, he felt as if his chest was closing in. He clutched his side, hoping he didn't have a broken rib. He stood up and faced Abel. He reached for his sword and picked it up off the ground. Abel laughed. "Had enough?" Stryder didn't respond. "From what I've seen, the only way you could have killed my brother was by luck." Stryder smiled. "Actually, that was just it. But what does I matter, he's still dead isn't he?" That wiped the smile off of Abel's face. "You bastard!" Abel charged at Stryder, which is just what he wanted him to do.

When Abel reached Stryder, he swung his axe at him. Stryder launched him self over the axe. He flew right to Abel's head, where he stabbed him in the neck. Abel dropped his axe. Stryder pulled the sword out of his neck. Abe started gasping, and soon fell backwards, dead. When Abel died, the barrier around them came back down, revealing the bloody battle. Stryder gasped at how many soldiers they had lost.

Stryder ran into the battle field, slaying soldier's left and right. "Where are the Terra?" Stryder asked out loud. He heard a cry and looked to his left. He saw Luis battling Tarik. The battle was fierce, neither backing down. But as Tarik still was bursting with energy, Luis was weakening. Tarik found an opening and launched his sword up ward, sending Luis' sword flying out of his hands. Tarik stabbed straight at Luis, but was parried by another sword.

"What the hell?" Tarik cried out. Stryder stepped in front of Luis. He looked at Luis. "Go." He said to him. Tarik looked at Stryder in astonishment. "Bloody hell. Where did you come from? Where is Abel?" Stryder grinned. "He's dead." The blood drained from Tarik's face. "You bastard! First Serus and now Abel, I'll kill you for them!"

Tarik flew towards Stryder, slashing in all directions. Stryder was amazed at how skilled Tarik was, but Stryder was just as skilled. Neither side got in a hit but a chain of slashes and parries rang out through the air. Both warriors finally unlocked, jumping backwards, out of reach from each other. Stryder began breathing heavily and even Tarik began showing some fatigue. After they both caught their breath, they jumped back in at each other. The battle continued on until Stryder saw an opening. He went for it, not knowing that Tarik was planning that. When Stryder tried to stab Tarik, he smiled and rolled to the side, and then kicked Stryder in the back.

Stryder fell forward onto the ground. Tarik walked up to him and kicked his sword out of his hands. He grinned as he looked at the fallen man. "So, now I'll kill you for revenge on Serus and Abel. When you're dead, the Serra army will fall! We will be awarded for our help in this war. We will be paid in so much gold, that we'll be swimming in it. Now let's finish this."

Stryder knew that there was no way he would be able to dodge the bolt of electricity that will be shot at him as Tarik raised his hands. He closed his eyes as he waited for death to come. "No!" he heard someone yell out. He opened his eyes to see Erin on Tarik's back. She grasped him around the neck and held on tight. Her hold started slipping as Tarik moved around. Stryder got up to fetch his sword. Tarik managed to get Erin off of him and she fell to the ground before him. "You stupid wench! I'll kill you now!" Stryder couldn't reach his sword in time to prevent it. He saw Tarik's sword rise in the air, and saw Erin's eyes wide open. "No!" Stryder yelled.

Suddenly a sword went right through Tarik's chest. He gasped and looked down at the cold metal protruding from his chest. He dropped his sword next to him. The sword was pulled back out of him, and his body slumped to the side. There stood King Olin himself. He wiped the blood off of his sword and sheathed it. "King Olin?" Stryder said. "What are you doing out here, get back in the castle, you'll be killed." The king smiled. "You're welcome for saving the life of this young woman here."

Stryder looked at Erin, who still seemed shocked that she had come so close to dying. "I'm very grateful, but you have to get back to the castle." The king looked around at the battle taking place. Tarik and Stryder had moved off when fighting, so the battle waged on a few yards away. The king looked at Stryder. "I heard that you have fulfilled your mission. So I had to come out and se for myself" He looked at Erin. "Is this her?" Stryder nodded. "King Olin, meet Erin Crescent."

"You!!" a voice said from behind them. They all turned to see a disheveled Rubiel. His clothes were torn from slashes, but he received no injury anywhere. His red clothes were shaded darker from all the blood he spilled. He pointed straight at King Olin.

"You! Why would you hire us if you were just going to kill us off?!"


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Stryder turned to King Olin. "What is he talking about?" The king looked scared. "I have no idea." Rubiel snarled. "Damn liar! You're the king of Alghan!" Stryder looked at the king in pure shock. Erin looked between the both of them. "What the hell is going on?" Suddenly the King grabbed Erin and ran away with her." Stryder tried to run after him, but a trail of flame appeared in front of him and cut him off.

Rubiel was walking slowly towards him. "You killed Serus, and then Abel. You didn't kill Tarik, but I hold you responsible! Now, you will see what it's like to die a slow painful death!" Rubiel dashed towards him, drawing his dual swords in the process. Stryder dodged to the side as Rubiel flew by him. Stryder gained his footing and drew his sword. Just as he did, Rubiel appeared right in front of him. Stryder raised his sword and deflected the first blow, then dodged as the second sword came around. Rubiel gave him no time to rest, he would appear right in front of Stryder every time.

Rubiel was definitely harder to fight than the other three Terra combined. He was more skilled than them and having to block two swords drained his energy faster. Rubiel smiled as he noticed Stryder weakening. "Ha, can't keep up can you? Well how about this!" Rubiel stabbed low, near Stryder's thighs, Stryder pushed the sword aside. With his other sword, Rubiel slashed in an upward arc. Stryder bent backwards to prevent the sword from burying into his chin. While Stryder was bent, Rubiel jabbed forward. Stryder miraculously managed to deflect it.

Rubiel started laughing. "Good, good. Now it's your turn." Rubiel stood back and held his swords in a defensive posture. Stryder took a second to catch his breath and ran towards Rubiel. He tried all kinds of maneuvers, everything he learned, but everything was parried by Rubiel. He tried to knock Rubiel's swords out of his hands with an upward arc, but he held strong.

Rubiel kicked Stryder forward. He started laughing. "You are a worthless fighter. You can't even land a hit on me." Stryder picked his face up from the dirt. To his right, he saw Serus' bow and quiver, where Erin had dropped them after jumping onto Tarik's back. Stryder wasn't a great archer, but it was worth a try. Rubiel started walking slowly towards him, swords out, exposing his chest. When Rubiel came a short distance away, Stryder jumped for the bow, and pulled an arrow out of the quiver. He placed the arrow on the bow as fast as he could and shot it. It flew straight and hit Rubiel right in the chest, before he could react.

Rubiel looked at the arrow that was sticking out of his chest, where his heart was. He fell backwards, onto a wall, and slid down, his swords falling out of his hands. Stryder stood up and walked over to his body. Rubiel grabbed the arrow, and with a groan, pulled it out of his chest. Blood trailed down from the hole. Stryder walked up to him and kneeled down. Rubiel started laughing. "Killed by the weapon of the man I was trying to avenge." Stryder bent down next to him.

"Were you telling the truth about Olin being the king of Alghan?" Rubiel looked at him. "Go find out for yourself." Stryder couldn't get anymore words out of him, so he stood up and ran to the castle. When he entered, all of the guards were slain and on the floor. "Damn!" Stryder said. "What is going on?" He made his way to the throne room. When he opened the double doors, he saw Erin fighting with the king. She was trying to pull herself out of his grasp. "Why isn't it working?"

Stryder ran up to the fighting pair. "Let her go!" He said. Olin looked at Stryder and gasped. Erin kicked his leg, making him release his grip and she ran over beside Stryder. She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm glad you're ok." Stryder nodded to her and then looked at the king. "Olin, what the bloody hell is happening here." Olin turned his back to them and looked out the great window that portrayed the battle still raging outside. He started laughing to himself.

"A great battle between two powerful forces. Neither side knowing that they were ruled by the same leader." Stryder raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" Olin started to laugh again, but continued. "I decided that Alghan was becoming too much of a threat, so I took a couple of soldiers with me to assassinate the king, who was at a meeting in one of the neutral countries. We made it to the meeting and we fought bravely. I had the king on his hands and knees, begging for me to spare him. So I had him write out his will. It stated that I was supposed to become the next king of Alghan. Then I killed him. My soldiers disapproved of my actions, so I killed them too." He laughed evilly.

"I started ruling Alghan shortly after I gained rule over Serra. I came into the palace with the will, and I was soon put into power. Ah, the power, it felt so great ruling two countries. But after a while, it became a great hassle. People were becoming suspicious, so I decided that I had to rule only one great country. I declared war on Serra from my position in Alghan. Whichever side would win the great war, would gain me as their leader and the loser country would become our slaves. With that great army, I would take over all of Kalm!"

Erin looked at him with a disgusted expression. "You sick! All of these deaths just so you can gain power?" Olin turned to them. "Yes! Great power! Which brings me to how I tie in with you two. There once was a man who had great power in Serra. His name was Artemis Garin. He was our blacksmith and he crafted the greatest weapons and accessories man has ever known. He found out about my treachery, so I had to have him disposed of. He created something that would really benefit the kingdom of Serra, that he would give the council, instead of me."

"He crafted a pendant that would give its wearer ultimate power if they knew how to release it. This pendant was created from the rare onyx stone." Erin looked down at her pendant. Olin laughed. "Yes, it is your pendant. That is why I had Stryder here search for you. Artemis Garin was Stryder's father." Stryder looked at the king. "Liar!"

"Believe what you want but its true. I killed Artemis and his wife. But not before they gave birth to their son. I couldn't kill a child, so I had him orphaned, with no knowledge of his past. He grew up to become the great mercenary he is today. I stole the pendant, but could not find out how to unlock its power. Meanwhile, my wife was pregnant with our child. She soon found out about my treachery as well, and fled Serra. She was eight months pregnant when she left, soon to give birth. She took the pendant as well. I had a search team look for her, telling them to kill her. They found her, but she had already given birth. I had no idea where my child was, until now. You, Erin, you are my daughter."

Erin gasped. "No, my family is the Crescents." Olin laughed. "They merely adopted you and didn't want you to know your past, knowing the truth of my treachery, but they were living in a neutral country, so the war did not bother them. I had Stryder here search for you. Then, over in Alghan, I had hired the Terra to kill Stryder before he can become a threat to me, since I had killed his father. But apparently they did not do a great job."

The two just stood there, as the newly gained information of their past lives sunk in. Both refused to believe, but knew that it had to be true. Olin looked back and forth between them. "I am getting that pendant one way or another, even if it means to kill my own child.' Stryder pushed Erin behind him and drew his sword. "First you're going to have to get through me." Olin smiled. "Very well then." He reached to his side and drew his own golden sword. Stryder looked back at Erin. "You have to go somewhere, I can't have you getting hurt." Erin nodded and ran to the corner of the throne room."

Olin smiled. "First I am going to kill you, and then I'll kill her. I'll retrieve the pendant and gain ultimate power. Then I will take over the world!" The king slashed at Stryder who merely dodged the attack. "You're not getting through me. I'm not the rookie mercenary you knew before." He ran at Olin and tried to stab him, but Olin blocked the blow, returning with is own slash. Stryder parried the attack, leaving Olin open. He jabbed at him, but Olin grabbed his arm and pushed him off. "Nice try, boy. You are going to have to do way better than that. Don't you feel any anger at all, knowing that I killed your family and laid your entire life to waste?"

Stryder stood back, panting heavily. The king smiled. "Tired already? I am just warming up!" He ran at Stryder, trying to catch him off guard. Olin kept running towards him, but Stryder didn't move. The king stabbed towards Stryder, who weakly tried to block it with his sword in his left hand. Olin stabbed Stryder in his hand, causing him to drop his sword by his legs. Olin raised his sword to jab Stryder in the neck, for a killing blow.

The anger built up in Stryder as he thought of all the pain this man has put him through. As the king came close, Stryder snapped. Stryder dodged to the side as the king's sword went right by his face. Stryder grabbed the king's sword and spun in a circle, wrenching it free from Olin's grasp. Then he stabbed the sword backwards, right into the king's stomach. Olin took a few steps backwards, gazing at his own sword sticking out of his stomach. He looked up at Stryder. "Impossible….." Olin fell onto his back, dead.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Stryder bent down over the king's body. Erin came running over to him. He stood up as she jumped on him, pulling him into a hug. "I'm glad that you're okay." Stryder hugged her back. "I'm glad that you're fine, too. It's finally over." Erin nodded. She opened her eyes as she looked over his shoulder. Her eyes grew wide and a gasp escaped from her lips "Watch out!" Erin yelled as she pushed him aside. Stryder fell to the floor and looked up frantically, trying to find out what was going on. Erin stood there, motionless, a sword sticking out of her back.

"NO!" Stryder yelled. He heard a familiar evil laugh. The sword slowly slid out of Erin's back and her body fell the floor. Rubiel stood there, an evil grin on his face. "I was originally trying to kill you. This works too." Stryder moved to Erin's body. Her face was white and her eyes were closed. She was dead. He looked up at Rubiel. "You bastard! You killed her! She had nothing to do with any of this!" Rubiel started laughing. "Well actually, it was her fault that all of this was happening. If the king had not sent you out to find her, then you wouldn't have been involved in this, and my brothers wouldn't be dead."

"Well then it's Olin's fault!" Rubiel looked over at the dead body of the king. "Well, he's dead now, so that passes the blame onto you two. Now that the little bitch is dead, you're the runner up." Stryder stood up and drew his sword. "Don't call her that!!!" Rubiel laughed. "Or else what? You'll kill me? You already tried that once." Stryder looked at the hole from the arrow that should have pierced his heart. "Why aren't you dead? I shot you through the heart." Rubiel looked at the hole, and smiled. "Fool, I was born abnormal, what makes you think I would be like every other human? My heart is on the other side!" Stryder reached down and pulled the pendant from Erin's neck and placed it around his own, hoping that it would somehow help him in the fight.

Rubiel drew his two swords. "Now let's end this, once and for all!" He shot a ball of fire at Stryder and then dashed towards him. Stryder dodged the fire ball and then brought up his sword to defend the blows from the oncoming Rubiel. Stryder should have felt weakened from the two battles he fought one after another, but he felt strength radiating from the pendant. He easily kept up with both of Rubiel's swords and managed to counterattack. Stryder parried one of Rubiel's attacks and slashed at his stomach. Rubiel jumped back, but received a gash from the tip of the blade.

Rubiel looked at the gash. "It seems you've gotten stronger since our last fight. This should be interesting." Suddenly, Rubiel started shooting out fire everywhere. Stryder did his best to dodge the waves, ducking and weaving around them. One of the waves set his tunic on fire, but he quickly put it out.

Stryder dashed at Rubiel and tried to stab him in the neck, but Rubiel moved to the side and grabbed his arm. He pushed him into a wall, and quickly drew his swords. Stryder groaned as Rubiel stabbed one of his swords through his shoulder. Rubiel smiled. "Foolish attempt. Only someone desperate would try that." Rubiel brought his other sword around, preparing for the final strike. Stryder smiled. "It may be a foolish attempt, but not unless they were planning to do this!" Stryder pushed himself deeper onto Rubiel's sword and stabbed Rubiel with his own. Rubiel's blade was halfway through Stryder's shoulder, but Stryder's sword pierced Rubiel's heart. Rubiel looked down at Stryders sword. His two swords fell from his hands. He stumbled backwards into a wall.

Stryder looked at Rubiel, who was laughing. "Oh the irony." Rubiel said. "All of our lives, we claimed that we were unable to be killed. Yet it only took one person to kill us all." After that, Rubiel closed his eyes, and his breathing slowly came to a halt. Stryder looked at Rubiel's dead body. "Good riddance." He pulled Rubiel's blade from his shoulder and then sees Erin's body.

Stryder ran over to Erin's body and fell to his knees beside it. He picked up her head and placed it in his lap. "Erin….." he said. "No….you can't be dead…..I won't believe it!" A tear formed in the corner of his eye. "No…. Erin….we're supposed to save the world…." The pendant around his neck started glowing. "Huh?" He grabbed it, and pulled it off. A blue light was coming from it. He looked over and saw that his sword was glowing the same blue light. "That's the key! My father must have made the sword to open the pendant." Suddenly, a burst of energy shot through Stryder. His eyes glowed blue and everything around him went white.

When the light faded away, both his sword and the pendant were gone, but Stryder felt a surge of power inside of him. He stood up and looked over the balcony, at the battle that still raged on. "Time to finish this." He said in deep voice that wasn't his. Stryder waved a hand over the landscape.

Luis fought two soldiers off of him. They both slid back, but weren't harmed. They looked at each other and grinned. They both drew their swords, back, preparing for a simultaneous attack. Luis knew that he wouldn't be able to block both blows, but he would try anyway. He was ready to die for Serra. Both soldiers lunged at him, and Luis jumped into them, but the only thing he felt was dust hitting his face. He looked behind him. All that remained of the two soldiers was a cloud of black dust that floated around. All around the battlefield, the Alghan soldiers were disappearing. The Serran soldiers celebrated. They had won the war! Luis looked over at the castle. "Stryder, you did it!"

Stryder watched as the soldiers of Alghan dissolved into ash. "I did it!" He looked over at Erin on the floor. "It's all thanks to you." He walked over to her body. He picked her up and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry that I was too weak to tell you how I feel about you. Now you'll go on never knowing that I loved you." With Erin in his arms, he walked through the castle and down the stairs. He walked through the empty halls, past the guards that lay slaughtered onto the floor and out of the giant double doors. He walked out onto the battle field and placed Erin at the floor by his feet. He fell to his knees beside her. Then he placed his head in his hands and started to cry.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The sunlight glared over the hillside that was still fresh with the blood spilled the day before. The leaves on the trees started to turn an assortment of colors as autumn began to settle in. A group of people made their way up the hill. Stryder looked back at the people that were following him and was grateful for it. He tightened his grasp on the coffin in his arms. Three other men were helping him carry the coffin, including Luis.

The crowd finally reached the top of the hill. The men carrying the coffin moved ahead of the crowd, towards a placement made of wood. They placed the coffin on top of the wood, where it held. Stryder let go of the beam that he carried. He looked at Erin's pale face, and remembered the time he had spent with her. He blinked back a tear and stepped into the crowd.

Luis moved the front of the crowd, facing them. "I thank you all for coming out today. Today, we mourn the death of a person that helped us win this battle. Without her, Serra would be under the control of Alghan. I didn't get a good chance to know her, but what I did see of her was a kind, gentle person who put others above herself. We all mourn that she had to fall in such a horrible way. Does anybody have anything to say?"

Stryder nodded and moved next to Luis. He tried to find words to say, and cleared his throat. "Erin died….at the hands of Rubiel, of the Terra. She died saving me. She jumped in the way of the blade that should have killed me. At first, I felt grateful that I was spared, but now, I wish that I had been the one to die. It's hard….. to have someone you care for die, right before your eyes. I……..I loved her. She died without even knowing that. I couldn't tell her that I loved her………" Stryder faded off. He blinked back another tear, but couldn't hold it back anymore, he started crying. "She didn't even know my real name." Stryder turned to Erin. "It's Zack. My real name is Zack." He moved forward and placed Serus' bow and quiver in her arms. Stryder turned back to the crowd.

The priest came forward and put his arm around Stryder. "It's ok. She's gone to a better place." Stryder nodded. The priest opened the bible and started to pray over Erin. But Stryder wasnt listening, he was in his own little world. He saw everything going on around him, but he heard none of it. The priest's words drowned out. All Stryder could think about was Erin. The scene of her pushing Sryder out of the way and Stryder looking up to see her impaled on Rubiel's blade kept playing in his head. The priest finished praying and motioned to the servant boy, who came over, holding a lighted torch.

The boy handed the torch to Stryder, who took it. He looked at the fire in his hands, it burned brightly. He placed the torch in the wooden placement under Erin's coffin. The fire started and Stryder stepped back. He watched as the whole coffin started to burn and watched the last of Erin before she disappeared behind the flames. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Luis beside him. "I'm sorry." Stryder shook his head. "It's not your fault. I already avenged her death. Now all I have to do is wait until we meet again. I'll see her again when my time comes."

Luis nodded. "Let's go." The pair turned and walked with the crowd back to the city. As they neared the forest, Stryder stopped and looked back. The rest of the crowd kept on going forward, no one noticed that Stryder had stopped. He watched as the flame burned on, consuming the last of the coffin. He smiled as he saw the black ash float into the valley below. "Goodbye, Erin. I'll see you again. And when that time comes, we'll spend eternity together." Stryder turned and walked into the forest, leaving his past to burn in the fire.


End file.
